Xiao Long Bao Little Buns Recipes

DIN TAI FUNG STYLE XIAO LONG BAO (SOUP DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Three days before, combine 10 cups water and all remaining soup ingredients except gelatin in large pot. Bring to boil, spooning off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until chicken pieces are very soft and beginning to fall apart, adding more water by cupfuls if necessary to keep chicken submerged, about 2 hours 30 minutes.
• Strain soup; discard solids. Return broth to same pot. Boil until reduced to 2 cups, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 3 tablespoons water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens. Add to hot broth; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Transfer to 13x9x2-inch glass dish. Cover; refrigerate aspic overnight.
• Two days before, combine all filling ingredients in large bowl and mix with fork just until blended. Cut aspic into 1/3-inch cubes. Add 1/3 of the aspic cubes to pork mixture; stir gently with wooden spoon just until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate. Return aspic to refrigerator.
• Mix 1 cup black vinegar, 6 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons fresh ginger strips in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• One day prior, line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 dumpling wrapper on work surface. Spoon 1 very generous teaspoon filling onto center of wrapper, including at least 2 aspic cubes.
• Lightly brush edges of dumpling wrapper with water. Bring 1 corner of wrapper up around filling, then pleat remaining edges of wrapper at regular intervals all around filling until filling is enclosed and wrapper forms bundle-like shape with small opening at top.
• Gather top edges of wrapper together and twist at top to enclose filling. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 day, or freeze in single layer in covered containers for 2 weeks.
• On the day of, line each layer of bamboo steamer basket with cabbage leaves; place over wok filled with enough water to reach just below bottom of bamboo steamer basket. (Or line metal steamer rack with cabbage leaves and set over water in large pot.) Place dumplings atop cabbage, spacing apart.
• Bring water to boil. Cover; steam until cooked through, adding more water to wok if evaporating too quickly, about 12 minutes for fresh dumplings and 15 minutes for frozen. Serve dumplings immediately, passing sauce alongside for dipping.

HOW TO MAKE XIAO LONG BAO (小笼包, SOUP DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven at 390°F/200°C/Gas 6 (Fan-assisted 360°F/180°C)
• Place chicken in an oven-proof pot/pan/baking tray. Put scallions and ginger inside the chicken. Cover TIGHTLY with a lid/tin foil.
• Cook in the oven for 1 hour. Then leave to cool (covered).
• Keep the chicken for other dishes. Pour the liquid into a container. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until it turns into a piece of jelly-like aspic (about 250g).
• In a mixing bowl, add hot water to the flour. Mix with chopsticks/spatula. Then add tap water.
• Combine and knead into a dough. Leave to rest (covered) for 10 minutes then knead again until very smooth.
• Cover and rest for a further 30-60 minutes until it becomes soft.
• Mix minced pork with all the seasoning until well combined.
• Use a spoon to remove the layer of chicken fat on top of the aspic. Then use a fork to break it into tiny pieces. Add to the pork then mix well.
• Keep refrigerated for at least 30 mins. Don't take out until you are ready to assemble the dumplings.
• Roll the dough into a rope. Divide into 20 pieces. Then press into discs with the palm of your hand. Cover at all times when not using (with cling film/in a plastic bag/with an upside-down bowl, etc.).
• With a rolling pin, use the "roll and turn" technique to flatten it into a very thin disc, about 12cm/4.7inch in diameter (Please refer to my tutorial video below). Dust the surface with flour if it sticks (see note 4).
• N.B. Assemble the dumpling one by one as you roll out each wrapper (Do not stock up as they are very thin thus dry out very easily).
• Place a spoonful of the filling (about 35g) in the middle of the wrapper.
• Pleat into a round dumpling with about 15-20 folds (Please refer to my tutorial video below). You may leave the middle part open or sealed.
• Line the steamer basket with steamer parchment paper, or cut regular parchment paper into squares (see note 5 if you are using a metal steamer).
• Place dumplings in (leave at least 3cm/1inch space between them).
• Bring water to a full boil in a wok/pot. Then put the steamer basket on top. Turn the heat to medium-low. Steam for 8 mins (if cooking over 10 dumplings at a time, increase to 10 mins).
• Bring the steamer basket to the table to serve.
• Hold the top part of the dumpling with a pair of chopsticks. Pick up then place onto a soup spoon or a small saucer. Open a small hole with the chopsticks to let the "soup" flow out. Slurp up! (You may directly bite a small hole and suck out the soup but be careful not to burn your tongue)
• Gently dip the dumpling into the dipping sauce (mix vinegar with julienned ginger) then eat in 1-2 bites.
• You may store leftover dumplings in the fridge for up to 2 days. Steam for 3 mins to reheat. However, you may not get any soup as the liquid is absorbed by the wrapper over time.
• Since soup dumplings are very delicate, I don't recommend you make them in advance or freeze.

HOMEMADE SOUP DUMPLINGS (XIAO LONG BAO)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Prepare a medium-sized (about 4 qt) dutch oven with a lid or a roasting pan that can be securely sealed with a lid or foil. Add the oil to the pan and place it in the oven to heat up, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Once heated, carefully transfer the pan onto a trivet. Place the chicken back in the pan and spread the ginger and green onions on top of it. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover with the lid and return to the oven. Roast until you've collected a good amount of chicken broth in the bottom of the pot, 50 minutes or so.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to remove and discard the chicken backs.
• Lay a mesh strainer over a heat-proof bowl. Strain the chicken broth. Once cooled completely, transfer the chicken broth into a sealed container and refrigerate overnight.
• Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Slowly drizzle the hot water over the flour while stirring with a pair of chopsticks (or a fork). Mix until the hot water is fully absorbed.
• Then slowly drizzle 25 g of cold water over the dry flour while mixing. Once the water is fully absorbed and the flour turns into dough flakes, start pressing with your hand to gather the dough together while mixing in as much dry flour as you can. If the dough is almost formed but there's still dry flour left in the bowl, add the remaining 5 g water and keep kneading. Once done, it should form a semi-soft dough and no flour is left in the bowl.
• Transfer the dough onto a clean working surface and knead for 15 to 20 minutes, until the surface is smooth and the texture elastic. The dough should feel soft to the touch and not stick to your hands.
• Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 45 minutes.
• Storage: You can store the dough at this point if you decide to assemble the dumpling later. The dough can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge overnight.
• Add the grated ginger into a small bowl and pour in 1/4 cup hot water. Let sit while preparing other ingredients.
• The chicken broth you made the day before should have become congealed with a layer of fat on top. Scrape off the fat and reserve it in a small bowl.
• Slice the chicken gelatin into thin strips, then further into small cubes. Coarsely mince it into bits.
• Measure the chopped gelatin. If it's less than 4.4 oz (120 g), add a few spoonfuls of the chicken fat until it reaches 4.4 oz (120 g). You can discard or reserve the remaining chicken fat for future use. Store the gelatin in the fridge while not using.
• Add the ground pork into a medium-sized bowl. Add the ginger water, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, sugar and white pepper. Beat with a spatula until the liquid is fully absorbed and the filling becomes sticky and bouncy, 5 minutes or so.
• Add the chopped chicken jelly and green onions. Mix until incorporated.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to use. The filling can be stored in the fridge for a couple of hours, but I do not recommend storing it for too much longer, because the liquid will start to seep out.
• Line a steamer rack with napa cabbage leaves or prepare some square parchment paper for steaming the dumplings.
• Place the rested dough onto a clean working surface. Roll it into a long log, about 1" (2.5 cm) in diameter. Cut the log in half, wrap one half with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge while working on the other half.
• Roll out the log a bit more. Divide it into two equal pieces, then further cut them into 10 pieces in total. Cover them with a few layers of wet paper towels to prevent drying out.
• Work on the buns one at a time. Shape one piece of dough with your fingers so it is a round piece, then flatten it with your palm. Use a small rolling pin to roll out the wrapper, spinning the dough after rolling a few times. Roll until the wrapper is very thin, about 4 1/2" (11 cm) in diameter. (*Footnote 3)
• Place 22 g (about 1 tablespoon) of the filling onto the center of the wrapper. Fold and pinch the edges of the wrapper to create pleats (see the wrapping process in action in my cooking video). When you are about to seal the pleats, leave a small opening on the top of the dumplings (very important - *Footnote 4).
• Place the wrapped dumplings onto the napa cabbage or parchment paper. Cover loosely with a few layers of wet paper towels to prevent drying out. Work on the rest of the dumplings until you can fill the steamer rack - you should leave at least 2" (5 cm) between the dumplings.
• Prepare the dipping sauce by adding 1 tablespoon of Chinese vinegar and a few strips of ginger to each small sauce plate.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the steamer rack with a lid and place it over the boiling water. Steam over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the number of dumplings you cook at a time.
• Once done cooking, serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
• To eat the soup dumplings, hold a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a big spoon in the other. Carefully use the chopsticks to pick up the soup dumpling and place it into the spoon. If you're skillful with chopsticks, you can also dip the dumpling into the dipping sauce. Otherwise, drizzle a tiny amount of sauce over the dumpling. Have a small bite of the dumplings to let the steam out and allow the soup to pool in the spoon. If you don't mind hot food (it's very hot!), you can also let the soup stay in the dumpling and eat it all in one bite (I do not recommend this method if you're not familiar with soup dumplings).

XIAO LONG BAO - PORK SOUP DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a pot, add water, bouillon powder, ginger, ham, and onion over medium high heat. When it reaches a boil, lower to medium heat and allow to simmer for eight to ten minutes or until the liquid reduces to half the amount.
• Strain the stock into a bowl and rest for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to concentrate.
• Place the strained stock into the post again and mix in the agar agar powder thoroughly. Wait for the liquid to boil and then remove it from the heat. Place the liquid in a glass container and allow it to rest to cool before moving it into the fridge to set for 45 minutes.
• Measure flour and add into a mixing bowl.
• Boil your water and mix in the salt until it dissolves. Add the hot water carefully into the flour and mix with chopsticks or a spoon. Mix until it becomes a shaggy dough.
• Move the dough onto a floured surface and knead with the heel of your hand. To knead, use the heel of your hand and move the dough upwards, turn in a 45 degree angle and repeat. Continue for eight to ten minutes or until the dough becomes smooth. Cover with a towel or cling wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
• Take the set gelatin stock from the fridge and cut it into bite sized pieces. Reserve about ¼ of the gelatin and put it aside for later.
• In a food processor, add the ground pork, minced green onion, minced ginger, seasonings, and ¾ leftover gelatin. Pulse until the filling is combined, but before it becomes a paste. In between pulses, you can use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides to make sure all parts of the filling is mixed. If you don't have a food processor, you can also use your knife to chop up and mince the filling together. We're trying to adjust the texture of the filling so it is smoother after it cooks.
• After resting, weigh your dough and divide by 50 to know how much to portion out for each wrapper. This should be around seven grams per wrapper for this recipe. Cut each piece of dough according to this measurement. Put cut pieces under a damp towel while you roll out wrappers to prevent them from drying out.
• Take one piece of dough and roll it out into a 2 ½ inch circle. Use the rolling pin to thin out the edges. This should make a three inch circle. Repeat this with the rest of the wrappers. Keep the rolled out wrappers under the damp towel.
• In your left hand (or non-dominant hand), place a wrapper on your palm and add about ten grams of filling in the middle of the wrapper. With the reserved gelatin cubes, add about one or two cubes on top. This will make sure you have extra soup in each bite.
• Using your right hand (or dominant hand), take your pointer finger and thumb and make a fold starting at the top edge of the dumpling and continue to make folds towards your left hand (or non-dominant hand).
• Use your left hand's (or non-dominant hand's) index and pointer finger to guide folds into your other hand. These folds should start to resemble pleating when you pinch the folds together.
• Continue with these folds around the dumpling until you reach the first fold where you can finish pinching the top of the dumpling together in a swirling motion. Always go the same direction you've been folding. The end result should be a swirl or twist on top. There shouldn't be any holes on top.
• To make the dipping sauce, combine equal parts black vinegar and soy sauce (or whatever your preference is). Julienne some ginger and add it to your dipping sauce.
• Line your steamer with lettuce or parchment paper and preheat the steamer on the stove before adding your dumplings.
• Place dumplings in the steamer and cook for about ten minutes per batch. Do not open the steamer before then. After, test one dumpling to see if it's cooked and the gelatin has melted.
• Serve with dipping sauce and eat immediately.

XIAO LONG BAO-CHINESE SOUP DUMPLING

Steps:

• Make the pork jelly in the previous day with this instruction.
• In a small bowl, soak minced ginger, green onion and Sichuan peppercorn with 1/2 cup hot water for around 10 minutes to make ginger and green onion water.
• Blend the pork jelly for a while. Then add pork chunks in a blender, add salt, sugar, pepper, light soys sauce and oyster sauce. Blend with pause for 10 seconds. Then add the ginger and green onion water in. Continue blending with pause for another minute. Add the pork jelly, chopped green onion and sesame oil in. Stir in one direction for 1 or 2 minutes. Cover and place in fridge.
• Add pinch of salt in flour. Add flour and water in a mixing bowl and then knead the dough until smooth and stretchy (this process may need 15 to 20 minutes depending on your kneading skill. You can also use a mixer to do this job.) Cover with a wet cloth and reset for 1 hour.
• Shape the dough into a long log and cut into small pieces (around 12g each one). Then roll the wrapper out to form a large wrapper (around 12 cm in diameter). The wrapper should be quite thin.
• Place the wrapper in your left hand. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of your wrapper. Fix the starting point with the thumb of right hand and begin to fold the edge counterclockwise. Move the thumb slowly in the process. Repeat the process until the dumpling is completely sealed. Then slightly pull up the sealed peaks and then remove the extra flour(so we can get even and thin wrapper).
• Place the assembled dumpling on lined steamer. Set up the steamer and steam for around 8 to 10 minutes after the water is boiling.
• Serve directly or with Chinese black vinegar and ginger shreds.

SOUP DUMPLINGS (XIAOLONGBAO)

Steps:

• In a small pot, add the pork skin and pork bones and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil, and immediately drain and rinse off the bones and the skin. This gets rid of any impurities. Rinse out the pot and put everything back in. Add 4 cups (950 ml) water, ginger, scallion and wine. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, turn off the heat, allow the soup to cool, and strain the liquid into a bowl. Once the liquid is completely cooled, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In a mixing bowl, add the flour and the warm water 1 tablespoon at a time. Work and knead the dough for 15-20 minutes. The dough should be very soft and smooth. Cover with a cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Take your ground pork and put it in the food processor. Pulse for 30-60 seconds until the pork resembles paste. In a mixing bowl, add the pork and the rest of the ingredients except the aspic. Whip everything together thoroughly, for about 2 minutes. You want everything to be extremely well combined, and the pork should look like a light, airy paste. Gently fold in the diced aspic, and do not over-mix. Cover and transfer the filling to the refrigerator until ready to make the dumplings. If you're ready now, you can put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to allow it to firm up and make assembling the buns easier.
• Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll the dough into a long cylinder/cigar, about an inch in diameter. Cut the dough into small equal pieces weighing about 11 grams each (the dough chunks should be a size resembling that of gnocchi). Roll out each piece into a round disc about 3 - 3 ¼ inches diameter. Keep everything under a damp cloth.
• Prepare your bamboo steamer. You can line it with cheese cloth, napa cabbage leaves, or these lovely bamboo steamer discs, which can be found in some Chinese restaurant supply stores (if using these, you must brush the discs with oil first!).
• When all that is prepared, take out the filling. You'll be making each bun one at a time. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of your dumpling skin. Pleat with as many folds as you can muster: 12-20 folds should do it. Make sure the top is sealed. If the filling ever gets too wet or hard to handle, put it in the freezer for another 15 minutes and start again.
• Place the buns in the lined steamer basket, about 2 inches apart.
• In a metal steamer pot or wok, boil water. If using a wok, put the water at a level so that when you put the bamboo steamer into the wok, the water rises about ½ inch up the bottom of the bamboo base. You never want the water to touch the dumplings inside, though, so make sure not to fill it too high!
• Once the water is boiling, put the bamboo steamer in the wok or steamer pot, cover with the bamboo steamer lid, and steam over high heat for 8 minutes. Immediately remove the bamboo steamer from the pot and serve.
• Ok, so there is definitely a proper way to enjoy these dumplings. Put away the soy sauce because it has no place on the table right now. What you want is Chinese black vinegar. Pour some out into a small, round dish or bowl, and top with some very thin matchsticks of ginger.
• Take out your two utensils-chopsticks and a Chinese soup spoon (a fork would just butcher these and the soup would dribble out all over the table. It would be a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions).
• Carefully, slowly peel the xiaolongbao off of the steamer basket and dip it into the vinegar. Gently transfer the dumpling to your soupspoon and take a tiny bite out of the skin on the side of the bun to make a little hole. Proceed to slurp the soup out of the bun (Carefully. It's HOT). Then, with a little more vinegar, finish the whole thing off in one bite.

XIAO LONG BAO (LITTLE BUNS)

Steps:

• Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Slowly add warm water; use as little as possible. Cover the dough with a hot, moist towel, and put it somewhere warm to rise.
• Flavor the cooking oil in a wok by adding the chilies, anise, and peppercorns. Add the garlic slices and saute until cooked. Throw away the chilies, star anise and peppercorns.
• Put the ground meat in a bowl. Pour the flavored oil and garlic onto the meat and mix the ginger, onions and egg together. Add soy sauce and salt to taste.
• Knead your dough. Roll into 1" balls and flatten with your palms. Flour the surface and rolling pin and roll out the edges of the dough bits, making sure the center is thicker than the outsides.
• Scoop the meat mixture into the center of the dough disc. Pinch the dough together in a circular motion around the dumplings using a watch-winding motion.
• Steam the filled dumplings in a bamboo basket for 7-10 minutes. To prevent sticking, place the dumplings on cucumber slices.
• Let people mix their own dipping sauce from these ingredients: dark vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, raw garlic, sesame oil, salt.